Korean Air has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Boeing's 787 assembly facility at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, as...

Korean Air has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Boeing’s 787 assembly facility at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, as the Seoul-based carrier prepares to become the first Korean carrier to operate the type.

The airline will operate scheduled domestic flights with its first Boeing 787-9 to Jeju from Gimpo International Airport, Seoul’s second airport, for a month as part of the required certification period, before launching long-haul international routes to Toronto, Madrid, and Zurich with 787-9s later this year.

Korean Air took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 on February 22, 2017, becoming the first Korean carrier to operate the type

“The 787 Dreamliner will be a key member of Korean Air’s fleet as we continue to introduce next-generation airplanes to our customers,” said Walter Cho, president of Korean Air.

“The aircraft is fuel efficient, quiet, has lower operating costs and is spacious and very elegant,” added Cho. “The cabin features are impressive and will ensure maximum comfort for Korean Air’s passengers.”

Korean Air is scheduled to introduce five 787-9s to its fleet this year, with another five due to join its fleet by 2019.

With a fleet of 175 aircraft, Korean Air is one of the world’s top 20 airlines and operates more than 460 flights a day to 132 cities in 46 countries.

Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, whose 20 members 665 million passengers annually on more than 17,340 flights a day linking 1,062 destinations in 177 countries